I sat on the couch in the barracks, rubbing at my temple most of the night, Lin asking me if she could top off my tea now and again. I had to get out of that café as fast as possible after the talk of this supposed "Eli Anderson" from Earth.

"Did you at least give her a way to get ahold of you?" Lin asked. "I know you're freaked out right now, but you might regret it later if you didn't."

"I told her she could try asking specifically for me in a mission request. Maybe it will reach me or maybe General Vandham will just reprimand me for asking someone to misuse it."

Using both hands, the fuzzy, almost vegetable-like creature at my feet pulled himself up next to me on the couch. "Moustache man would not dare give trouble to dear friend of legendary heropon Tatsu."

I sighed as one of my hands fell on his head. "All right, guess I don't have to be afraid of anything then. Thanks, Tatsu."

In the midst of that there came a pat pat pat sound from the main console and a brown blur leaping from the floor. The little creature, my beagle, came forward and rested his head on my lap. "You too, Sammy. Thanks."

Lin was busy cooking something, but I was hardly paying attention to what. Tatsu waddled over to her to ask what she was preparing and I'm sure she was teasing about tossing him in the pot. I sighed quietly as I kept stroking Sammy's fur, his occasional look up telling me he knew I was upset. After some time alone, there came a ding from the elevator just beyond the living space. Skin white as chalk and almost glowing, Elma stepped through the elevator and took a seat on the coach across from me and let out an exacerbated sigh. "Think I might be starting to miss my mim. I'm actually feeling tired again."

"Yeah, go ahead and brag," Lin said.

"How did you two do today? Lecture go okay, Lin?"

"I think so. All the new engineers have it easy, all the hard work of figuring everything out was done for them."

Elma smiled and nodded. "Well, whatever keeps those flight modules on our skells. We're going to need them for a long time to come." She turned to me as I sat silently, head hanging a little. "Aina? Are you all right?"

I looked back to Lin, who gave a smile of support over her boiling pan and then down at Sammy as he licked my hand. "I met someone today. Out at the café, after that sampling I was telling you about. There was a woman named Ashley. She said she knew me… before."

Elma's shimmering, purple eyes widened. "Really? I can hardly believe it. I mean, NLA's a big city, but with how much we're out and around I'd have thought we'd have gotten a clue months ago."

"She said her name was Ashley Hoskins. That back on Earth, my name was Joanna Hoskins and that she's my cousin."

Elma didn't say anything at first. She seemed to be examining me, I realized when I looked up, eyeing me up and down. "I thought it would be good news when something like this happened. But you don't seem happy about it at all."

Sammy perked up and yawned. I turned again to Lin, biting my lip, which she saw as an invite in. "Well, she hasn't told you the really crazy part yet."

"There's someone here… a man, named Eli Anderson—"

Elma's eyes jumped again at that. "Eli Anderson? Son of Eric Anderson?"

"You know him?" I asked.

"I know his father. I was there when the Director General and Nagi approached his company about helping to produce mimeosomes. He loved his son, said he had all the prowess to be a perfect candidate aboard the White Whale." Elma swallowed and looked down. "You all know, by now, that the process wasn't exactly as unbiased as we'd originally said… I'm sorry, what about Eli now?"

"He knew me back on Earth too." I touched the spot overlapping my eye. "He was the one who put this on me. Because we're supposed to get married."

Elma crossed her arms as she leaned back. Sammy hopped off from his spot next to me and went to investigate her. "That's the reason for the mark? That seems… unusual. I mean, it's not like was could have known you'd lose your memory after we crashed here. If you two were supposed to be married, I'd think he'd just expect you would find him."

"… Huh, guess I hadn't really thought about that," Lin said. "That's a good point."

"Even aside from that, there are plenty of other things to consider." Elma reached down and began to scratch Sammy behind his ears. "Did seeing and talking to Ashley feel like it did anything for your memory? Did anything seem familiar about her at all?"

I sighed and shook my head. "No. If she hadn't recognized me I never would have noticed her at all."

"In that case, you're really not in any position to run off any marry a man you don't have any memory of." I was about to sigh in relief at the idea of someone affirming my thoughts on the matter, but then Elma continued. "I would, however, suggest you meet with Eli Anderson… he is in NLA, right? His consciousness isn't still held in the Lifehold?"

"From the sounds of things with Ashley, he is here," I said.

"Then even if Ashley didn't jog your memory, meeting him might. But even beyond that, you'd probably benefit from knowing the kind of person who would put a brand on your face."

"Man, Elma, you really seem to dislike this guy already," Lin said.

"I'm just saying this whole situation seems suspicious… and I'm saying I know you, Aina."

Simultaneously, I tapped the couch and looked away, finding Sammy beside me again as I avoided Elma's attention. "What are you referring to?"

"I've known you for as long as you've known yourself. I found you in that pod when you crashed onto Mira. The Ganglion's personal attack on NLA, staring down that girl and her giant companion, was the only time I've ever seen you so angry I had to command you to lower your weapon."

Indeed, as I was sometimes reminded, that battle was not my proudest moment.

"Any BLADE operative seeking an example, any citizen out in NLA with a grievance, any xenomorph looking for asylum away from the Ganglion, you have always been the first to step forward. You like to do things for others, you want to make other people happy. I'm just warning you that you should be careful about trying to be too generous with something like this."

I looked down, squeezing my knees as I thought on what she said. "I know. I know you're right."

From nowhere I felt two arms wrap around my neck, followed by Lin resting her chin atop my head. "Okay, seriously, cheer up now. Elma just went on and on about how great you are, and we all know she's right. Yeah, you should be careful, but she only has to tell you because you're so caring and so awesome."

I shut my eyes and smile for a moment, leaning back in my seat. "Thanks you guys. I really needed to hear all that."

"Okay, now come on," Lin said, standing up straight and clapping her hands. "I've made French onion soup and baked my own baguette. Let's worry about your maybe-fiancé later and worry about eating now."